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Hong Kong Final beckons for All Blacks Sevens

The defending IRB Sevens World Series champions New Zealand are through to their 20th Hong Kong Final after a 19-7 victory over Australia in the Cup semi-finals on the third day of the 2014 #HK7s

With ten titles at the Mecca of Sevens, their last coming in 2011, the All Blacks Sevens will face off against England who triumphed against perennial Hong Kong favourites Fiji 17-7 in the other semi, ensuring that the Pacific Island nation will be unable to push for what could have been their third ‘three-peat’ at the wonderful stadium.

An early try to Tim Mikkelson gave the All Blacks Sevens the opening score of their match against their trans-Tasman rivals, but while Gillies Kaka managed a conversion and try in the opening half, his sinbinning in the seventh minute ensure Australia had a sniff.

They played their part with the first try of the second half via Afa Pakalani, but Kaka returned from the sin bin to score the match winning try in the fifth minute of the final stanza.

It was the 11th time in 12 matches New Zealand has beaten Australia in Sevens.

The All Blacks Sevens had beaten Wales 28-5 in the quarter-finals, after accounting for Scotland (33-0), Samoa (26-7) and the United States (17-7) during the pool stages of the opening two days at Hong Kong Stadium.

South Africa, the current series leaders, was knocked out by the Red Rose so will be overhauled in the series standings.

New Zealand (114) is currently second to the Republic (116), with Fiij (95) and England (85) rounding out the top four on the overall leaderboard.